theatrebayarea.org: In 2003, the National Football League was facing a problem in hiring not dissimilar to the one theatres are confronting today: its leadership didn’t look like the rest of its employees. That year, 70% of players were black, but only 6% of head coaches were. In fact, in the course of the NFL’s history up to that point, only seven head coaches of color had ever been hired.
Those numbers meant that the problem wasn’t a pipeline issue, i.e., that there weren’t enough qualified candidates of color to interview for those positions. The problem, rather, was a glass ceiling issue, meaning bias was preventing qualified candidates from advancing.
4 comments:
I really like the idea behind the Rooney Rule, as I think it expands the playing field in a way that is fair and doesn't become an issue in the says the Affirmative Action can. A comparable scenario is present in a lot of broadway Theatres already, where as many roles as possible are cast colorblind, and pit musicians are given a blind audition. This guarantees that the decision to hire someone or not is based on merit (looks, of course, are a merit in acting, though not in musicianship necessarily). The problem in theatre administration and technical production is the same as the nfl one I believe; the talent is there in minority groups, and we just aren't doing enough to recruit it or give it the opportunities that the majority group (white males, mostly) have. I hope something like this can be implemented, because the more people we have to choose from in our industry, the stronger we'll be, and the more different perspectives we'll have to help us grow.
Discussions on issues of race and diversity are always hard to steer in a direction that is comfortable for everyone. In my experience someone is often feeling self-justified in their discomfort, leading to them taking it out on others. Regardless, it's a unique social issue that I believe differs from community to community, even within our campus.
I can say for a fact that student organizations on CMU's campus have gotten significantly more diverse when the executive board or officers or whichever group is in charge has gotten more diverse. Whether that means more women, more minorities, less women, or more underclassmen, a more holistic representation of the campus community and the student body in general has almost naturally led many more people who were previously of the minority to join the organization. No one was purposefully campaigning for diversity, the clubs just turned into more welcoming faces and even the subconscious effects of that were made clear by the significant boost in student participation.
This is much harder to seek evidence and discover trends of within the larger theatrical community, but I do wonder what benefits/differences it would make to the industry as a whole. Representation is always something that people who are unfamiliar with the rest of the community will seek, but I don't believe that it means active exclusion for the rest of the community. If it something that is new and uncomfortable for an individual, well... good. There's not much to be gained from living in a self-delusional bubble, and venturing outside the borders of your comfort zone is a good way to not become surprised when you're forced to do it anyway. Overall, I think it would be good for the industry, but I wouldn't be so sure about it being so suddenly enforced, nor would I expect it to happen.
I completely agree with Becca. The Rooney Rule is a great idea and an idea that I believe can be extremely effective in many ways. The idea of giving everyone a shot at an audition, or NFL interview is a great way to start. While it may not guarantee that person a job right away, it opens up for a greater possibility that that person may get something farther on down the road. Equality and talk about race is never an easy thing, but it is something that must be done if we are to improve our industries and make them stronger.
Yes racism is alive and well whether people want to believe it or not. I'm not surprised that looking at a more diverse pool of applicants would lead to more people from that pool being hired. This is a problem in our field that is never addressed, it is rarely even talked about. Why are there less people in management positions in the arts that are people of color? Is it due to a lack of applicants or to a bias that the person who is hiring has? Either way people in theater should do everything they can to rectify it. Diversity can only help companies. Having people from different backgrounds gives different perspectives on issues. It allows your company to reflect it's staff and the community outside of your theater. It can mean that you are giving opportunities to people who might normally not have them. I'm not necessarily advocating affirmative action but that we instead try to make a more diverse work place and foster a community that support difference instead of rejecting it.
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